Battery terminal connector



July 21, 1970 M. MARTINEZ 3,521,223

BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed April 12, 1968 W /7 Day/0 M M4/PT/A/LZ,

INVENTOR.

United States Patent US. Cl. 339-239 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Aquick detachable battery terminal post clamp suitable, for example, forconnecting cables to storage batteries and embodying the operating meansof applicants co-pending application hereinafter identified, andcharacterized by means preventing corrosion including a nonconductivecomponent means which surrounds the post and cable connecting andconducting component except for the electrically conductive surfacesthereof and which cooperates with the operating means to cause theconducting component to be conductively engaged with a battery terminalpost and which, upon release of the operating means, assists in thedisengagement of the conductor component from the battery terminal post.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The field of theinvention is that of electrical connectors of the types classified inclass 339, sub-classes 238 and 239.

Description of the prior art The principal prior art comprisesapplicants co-pending application Ser. No. 641,018, filed May 24, 1967.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The presence of corrosion at the terminals ofstorage batteries and particularly those used in motor vehicles hasalways been a problem. For terminal post connectors employing bolts asthe tightening medium, the corrosion frequently causes the bolts andnuts to be frozen together making disengagement a difficult andsometimes almost impossible task. a

In the past, numerous efforts have been made to over come this problem.Generally, these efforts have followed one or the other of two principalforms of attempted solution. One of these forms has been the use of sometype of cam lever means as the means for causing the connector to grip abattery terminal post, but until the advent of applicants saidco-pending application, all said cam lever means were limited to thethrow of the cam lever unless that cam lever means also included a screwthreaded bolt or the like for adjustment. Another form was some quickdetachable bolt means not involving a cam lever but the disadvantages ofall of these prior proposals were that those cam lever operated devicesnot having a take up were limited to one size of battery post and thosehaving threaded take up means were subject to the same troubles fromcorrosion as were the conventional bolt operated post engaging terminaldevices.

Applicants said co-pending application discloses a metal post engagingclamp operated by a cam lever means having a non-threaded andnon-corrosive take up means but with these advantages, that terminalconnector means did not overcome the accumulation of corrosion on theconnector and on the battery post.

The present invention is directed to and has for its principalobjective, the provision of a battery post terminal clamp or connectorin which the metal component which electrically interconnects thebattery cable with the battery post may be formed of a non-corrosivemetal and in which that component, except for the electricallyconductively engageable surfaces thereof is wholly encased in anon-conductive, non-corrosive body component with which an operatingmeans, e.g., the cam lever means of applicants said co-pendingapplication is operatively engageable. Other objects and advantages willappear as the detailed description of certain present preferredembodiments of the invention proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings which illustrate thepresently preferred embodiments of the invention described in thespecification following:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first presently preferred embodimentof the invention as applied to a storage battery terminal post;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conductor component of theembodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the connector shown in FIG. 1, the clampingmeans being shown closed in full lines in progressive steps towardsclosed position in broken lines;

FIG. 4 is a medial side elevational view taken in the plane of the line44 of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are transverse sectional views taken respectively in theplanes of the lines 5-5 and 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view showing a second mode of encasing theconductor component, the clamping component being omitted;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view showing a third mode of encasing the conductorcomponent, the clamping component being omitted;

FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view on the line 10-10' of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view generally like FIG. 1 but showing a secondpresently preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referringto the drawings, both embodiments, FIGS. 1-10 and FIG. 11 comprise threeprincipal components, viz., a conductor component 1, a casing component2 and a clamping component 3. The conductor component may be whollyformed from a corrosion resistant metal alloy, preferably one havingsome degree of resilience as for example, Inconel, or it may be formedof less corrosion resistant material or alloy having a surface protectedby a layer of metal or alloy of high corrosion resistance. So long asthe minimum cross sectional area of this component across which currentwill flow is sufliciently large, the higher resistivity factor of acorrosion resistant alloy or metal is not a deleterious factor.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, the illustrated conductor component 1comprises a unitary member having a split ring post engaging portion 4adapted to fit over a battery terminal post P and further having aradially outwardly extending tubular shank 5 disposed diametricallyopposite the opening 6 in the post engaging portion 4. The shank 5includes an axial bore 7 adapted to receive the end of the conductorcomponent C of a conductor cable C secured therein byany appropriateprocess or means as soldering or swaging. The inner surface of the postengaging portion 4 of the conductor component may be tapered tocorrespond to the taper of the battery post P with which it is to beused.

The casing component 2 is formed from a somewhat resilient,non-conductive, and acid resistant plastic material and covers allsurfaces of the conductor component except the interior surface of thepost engaging portion and the cable receiving bore 7 of the shankportion. It further includes a shank portion 8 surrounding the conductorshank as well as the distal end of said shank F, relatively heavy sidesections 9, 9 which extend around outer surface of the post engagingportion 4 and the edges of said portion, said side sections thenceextending in parallel distal end portions 10, 10 separated by the slotor opening 11 which is slightly narrower than the opening 6 between theends of the post receiving portion 4. The walls 12 of the casingcomponent which are parallel to the inner surface of the post engagingportion 4 are of slightly greater diameter than said inner surface sothat when the device is caused to grip a battery terminal post, thecontact pressure will be that of the engagement of the conductorcomponent with the terminal post. This distance is actually only a fewthousandths of an inch but is shown in exaggerated form in the drawingsfor clearness of illustration.

The clamping component 3 may be identical with that shown in applicantssaid prior application and includes a link 13 of rectangularconfiguration, preferably formed of stainless steel or equivalentcorrosion resistant metal and including parallel side members 14, 14extending between a lever engaging bight 15 and axially aligned endportions 16, 16 which are parallel to the bight 15 and which meet in abore 17 extending in eccentric relation through a generally cylindricalcam member 18 formed of non-corrosive, non-conductive material, said camhaving a notched peripheral surface to which further specific referencewill be made. The bight 15 is received in a slot 19 in the cam end 20 ofa hand lever 21 preferably formed of a rigid but slightly resilentplastic of a character which is acid resistant. The inner end of theslot 19 is of a width in which the link bight 15 is closely but freelyreceived and outwardly from said inner end the slot is slightly narrowerso that the link is assembled therein by being snapped into the slot,the resilience of the lever material permitting said snapin assembly.The cam end 20 of the hand lever is formed with a cam face 22 which isgenerated about a center line parallel to and slightly ofiset toward thehandle end of the lever with respect to the center line about which theinner end of the slot 19 is generated so that when the lever is moved tothe closed position as shown in FIG. 3, there will have been an overcenter action. The opposite side faces of the members 10, 10 remote fromthe slot 11 are provided with concave portions 10', 10' which arecomplementary to the curvature of the cam face 22 of the cam lever 21.

The cylindrical cam 18 is of a diameter which is at least slightlygreater than twice the radial dimension of the concave side faces 10',10' and is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced notches 23adapted to engage one or the other of the corners 23' defining thejuncture of the ends of said concave side faces with the side surface ofthe casing component 2. The number of said notches is an odd number andthe length of the concave faces 10' between the corners 23 and 23thereof is such that when a notch 23 is engaging one or the other ofsaid corners the other corner will be engaged by a land or side surfaceof said cam extending between two adjacent ones of said notches. Thus,for example, assuming that the cam 18 is provided with 15 equally spacednotches, the cam may be engaged in 30 different circumferentialpositions.

Having reference to FIG. 3, it will be noted that the cam 18 has a notch23 thereof engaged with an inner corner 23' of the concave side face 10'and that the opposite corner 23' of said side face is disposed betweentwo adjacent notches 23.

In use, a connector of the invention is fitted over the terminal post towhich it is to be connected, the handle being in the opened position asindicated at 24 in FIG. 3. The cam 18 is initially at a point ofrotation which presents the least dimension eccentrically to the concavesurface with which it is engaged and the cam is then rotated to take upany existing slack. Then upon moving the lever 21 to its closed positionshown in full lines in FIG. 3, the bifurcated end of the combinedconductor and casing components will be compressed with resultant tightgripping of the terminal post. If further tightness is desired, thehandle 21 is released and the cam is moved a few notches in thedirection of taking up slack after which, the handle is again brought toits clamping or closed position. When the terminal is to bedisconnected, the handle 21 is simply moved to its opened position andthe connector lifted clear of the terminal posts. The clamping component3 has a snap-in engagement with the casing component by virtue of bosses24, 24 formed on the opposite sides of one each of the members 10, 10 asbest shown in FIGS. 7 and 9. The dimension of said bosses being suchthat positioning the clamping assembly on the casing component requiressnapping the side bars 14, 14 over the bosses 24, 24.

Since the conductor component is completely encased in the casingcomponent, means must be provided for attaching a jumper for suchpurposes as starting a car having a dead battery. For this purpose, theshank portion 5 of the conductor component is provided with a sectoralshaped boss 25 which extends through the shank portion 8 of the casingcomponent and presents a conductive surface to which a jumper connectormay be attached.

There remains to be described the method by which the conductorcomponent may be encased within a casing component. In the form shown inFIGS. 1 through 6, the conductor component is shown as having beenmolded in situ in a plastic molding comprising the casing component. InFIGS. 7 and 8 the casing component is shown as being formed of twohalves meeting along a plane normal to the axial line of the postreceiving opening of the device and having an interior configurationclosely fitting the exterior contour of the conductor component.Alternatively, the conductor component can be molded in situ in one ofthese halves and the other half applied thereto and secured by adhesivemeans. In FIGS. 9 and 10 the same considerations are involved but thetwo halves are mirror image duplicates and meet on a center line whichis parallel to the axial line of the battery post receiving opening. Thetwo halves would, of course, be secured to one another by anyappropriate means, preferably adhesive.

Referring finally to FIG. 11, there is illustrated the fact that thecable receiving shank portion of the device need not be in diametralalignment with the slot 11 but can be in any desired angle. In thisfigure, the cable receiving shank is shown as being positioned at rightangles in a clockwise direction about the axis of the post withreference to FIG. 1. The shank portion 5 of the conductor componentwould, of course, be similarly positioned with respect to the postengaging right portion 4 thereof and the casing component would beappropriately changed to conform to the desired configuration. Also, ifdesired, the configuration of the hand lever could be changed so that inthis closed position it extended across the ends of the casing componentinstead of along the side thereof as shown in the said co-pendingapplication of applicant.

With these considerations in mind, it will be understood that theinvention is not to be deemed to be limited to the precise details ofcertain embodiments thus disclosed by way of example and it will beunderstood that the invention includes as well all such changes andmodifications in the parts and in the construction, combination andarrangement of parts as are obvious to one skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An electrical terminal connector comrising a conductor componenthaving a first portion adaptable to at least substantially encircling aterminal post and presenting an electrical conductive surface capableupon constriction of said first portion of conductively engaging thesurface of a terminal post encircled by said first portion and a secondportion presenting an electrical conductive surface for a permanentconnection to an electrical conductor, a casing component defined by apair of covers meeting along a medial line of said conductor componentand capable of being adhesively united to enclose said conductorcomponent, said covers being made from a stifily resilient,non-conductive material and covering substantially all surfaces of saidconductor component except said conductive surface, and manuallyoperable devices engageable with said casing component operative toeffect such deflection of said casing component as to cause said firstportion of said conductor component to be constricted into tight,conductive engagement with a terminal post encircled thereby.

2. The electrical terminal conductor defined in claim 1 wherein saidcasing component is formed of plastic molded members.

3. The electrical terminal connector defined in claim 1 wherein saidconductor component includes a third portion presenting a conductivesurface for detachable attachment with a second conductor.

4. An electrical terminal conductor as claimed in claim 1 in which saidconductor component is formed of an electrically conductive, corrosionresistant metallic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,873,775 8/1932 McMaster et a1.339-229 2,818,552 12/1957 Zam 339-116 3,152,854 10/1964 Osborn 339-2373,356,988 12/1967 Gall 339-230 3,397,382 8/1968 Shannon 339-230 FOREIGNPATENTS 139,818 1/1951 Australia.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner J. H. MCGLYNN, Assistant Examiner

